Failures and Affirmations
by lucielhyung
Summary: Shiki plans a surprise for Rebecca's birthday, but things don't go as planned.


_So warm. It feels nice._

The ash blonde-haired girl nuzzled into the source of her warmth, entering a state of pure bliss. She felt a pair of strong arms wrap themselves around her body along with a gentle kiss on her forehead. Rebecca lazily opened one eye and was greeted with her boyfriend's adorable smile. She opened her other eye to fully take in the sight. Even though they have been dating for a while, his smile always mesmerized her. After she finally processed her surroundings, she realized that they were on the couch. The scattered controllers on the ground reminded her that they were up late, playing video games. She whipped her head towards the tv in panic. Thankfully, it was closed.

Rebecca stifled a yawn and scooted upwards in order to plant a sweet kiss on Shiki's lips. "Good morning!"

"Good morning, Becca!"

Shiki tightened his grasp on her, causing her to squeak. He affectionately rubbed his cheek against hers as she giggled. "Happy birthday!"

"Aww thank you!" she exclaimed, kissing him once again. She squealed in surprise when Shiki suddenly flipped them over, so he could hover over her.

He kissed her forehead. "I."

Her left cheek. "Love."

Her right cheek. "You."

Her nose. "So."

He planted a kiss on the side of her neck. "Much!"

He finished by kissing her again. Rebecca wrapped her arms around his neck, basking in his affection. She was so thankful to be with him. He entered her world when she was at her lowest. Rebecca was a struggling youtuber at that time. People would tell her to get "real" job. That youtube wasn't a smart career choice. Rebecca ignored them before because she just wanted to follow her dreams. However, she eventually started to believe them and regretted her life choices. She considered quitting until she met was a ray of sunshine. A blessing. Her hope.

She met him when she was silently crying in the corner of a coffee shop. She thought she was hidden away from the crowd until he approached her and offered to buy her some cake. She was taken back by his kindness. At first she was suspicious that he was trying to take advantage of her, but her intuition told her that he could be trusted. That his actions were genuine. She was glad she trusted him at that moment because he changed her life for the better. They connected right away. A fateful encounter blossomed into a wonderful friendship. He convinced her to continue being a youtuber and helped her develop ideas in order to make her channel grow. Gradually, she got more popular thanks to his help. He stuck by her side. Faced every obstacle with her. Eventually, friendship developed into love. Rebecca was worried that her feelings for him was going to ruin their friendship. However, he reciprocated her feelings. He loved her before she realized her own feelings.

The need for air snapped her out of her thoughts, and she reluctantly broke away from the kiss. She grinned at him, eyes laced with love. "I love you too! So much!"

Shiki grinned, hopping off the couch. Rebecca extended her arms out, pouting. "Where are you going? I'm cold without you!"

Shiki laughed. "Stay here. There's something I want to do for you!"

Rebecca's eyes lit up in excitement. "Oh okay!"

Shiki dashed off towards the kitchen while Rebecca grabbed a blanket laying on the ground. She wrapped herself thoroughly, giggling silently since she figured that she looked like a burrito. Rebecca turned on the tv to pass some time. Her cat, Happy, jumped onto the couch and snuggled against her.

After watching two episodes of her favorite anime on netflix, she finally heard her boyfriend call for her.

"Coming!" she called, nearly tripping over the controllers on the ground as she eagerly hopped off the couch and practically ran to the kitchen.

Rebecca's eyes widened in delight when she saw a stack of pancakes placed on the middle of the table.

"Ta da!" Shiki gestured to the table, grinning from ear to ear.

"You made this for me! Thank you so much!" Rebecca cheered, jumping in excitement.

Shiki rubbed the back of his neck. "I know I don't really cook, but I wanted to try and make something for you for your special day."

Rebecca pulled him into a tight hug, giggling. "You're so sweet! I love you!"

"I love you too!"

Rebecca grabbed a plate and sat down at the table. She took two pancakes from the stack, and poured syrup on top of it. Shiki sat in the chair next to hers and rested his hand on his cheek.

"Have some," Rebecca urged, pointing at the stack of pancakes with her fork.

"I will. I just want you to start first," Shiki replied.

Rebecca took a bite. The taste made her eyes widen, and she turned her head to the side so Shiki couldn't see her reaction. It didn't taste awful, but it wasn't very tasty either.

Shiki raised his eyebrow at her reaction. "How is it?"

"It's good," she lied, smiling at him. Rebecca didn't want to hurt his feelings. He put so much effort into it. Also, it meant a lot to her that he was willing to go out of his comfort zone to make her breakfast. That's all that mattered to her.

Shiki did not look convinced. He took a pancake from the stack, and ate a piece. A disgusted expression formed on his face. "Ack! This is gross." He sighed and grabbed the plate of pancakes.

"Where are you going?" Rebecca questioned.

"I'm going to throw these away. They taste awful," Shiki responded.

"They're not that bad," Rebecca countered, grabbing his arm to stop him.

Shiki turned his head, refusing to meet her eyes. "I'm sorry Rebecca. I messed this up. I just wanted to make something special for you. Why can't I do anything right?"

Rebecca frowned, and grabbed his head to make him look at her. "Don't say that! You're perfect the way you are Shiki. It's okay. You'll get better at cooking with practice. It's your actions that matter more to me. You're the best boyfriend a girl could have!"

Shiki's eyes widened in surprise before they softened. He placed the plate back on the table and pulled her into a hug, nestling his face in the crook of her neck. "I'm so lucky to have you!"

Rebecca returned the embrace. "No! I'm the one who is lucky!"

Shiki chuckled and pulled away, keeping his hands on her waist. "Alright we're both lucky to have each other!"

"Sounds good to me!" Rebecca laughed, flashing a peace sign.

"Let's just order some chinese food then," Shiki suggested, grabbing the menu of the local chinese restaurant off the counter.

"No! I'll finish the pancakes you made me," Rebecca protested.

Shiki placed his finger on her lips. "No way! I'm not letting you eat that."

Rebecca pouted and crossed her arms. "I wanted to finish the food my lovely boyfriend prepared for me."

Shiki pouted as well. "No you deserve quality food!"

"Alright alright. How about I finish the two pancakes on my plate and then we'll order chinese food?" Rebecca suggested in an attempt to compromise.

"Hmmm alright. You are the birthday girl after all," Shiki agreed, causing Rebecca to cheer in response.

After she finished the pancakes, Rebecca headed back to the couch with Shiki following suit. She jumped onto the couch and gestured towards her lap. Shiki grinned and layed down, resting his head on her lap. Rebecca stroked his hair, humming her favorite song.

"Shouldn't our positions be reversed?" Shiki spoke up after a few minutes.

"I'm the birthday girl, and I want to do this," Rebecca pointed out.

"Can't argue with that!" Shiki laughed, sighing in bliss. "So what do you want to do today."

"You could help me record a new video for my channel," Rebecca winked.

Shiki's eyes lit up in excitement. "I'll get the bunny suit!"

Rebecca burst into a fit of laughter as Shiki ran into the bedroom. This was going to be a fun day.


End file.
